The Longest Shortest Time

Thanks to genetic technology, you can know if your child has an increased risk for disease before they are even born. But is more information always a good thing? Writer Bonnie Rochman walks us through the complicated decisions parents face when they get a glimpse of their offspring’s genetic future.

What traditions should you pass down to your kids when you and your partner come from completely different cultures? And why does keeping those rituals alive even matter? The Mash-Up Americans help us navigate family life in hyphenated America.

Nicholas Day wanted to know why he felt like a failure when he gave his kid a pacifier. The answer took him down a rabbit hole into the bizarre, hilarious, and strangely relatable history of parenting babies.

For some people, parenthood takes a lot of planning; for others… it just sorta sneaks up on them. This week, one woman’s unexpected path to motherhood. Including a long-distance romance, a mysterious illness, and mind-controlling toddlers.

It doesn’t matter if you play Americana, hip hop, or death metal—everybody comes from a family of some kind. Hrishikesh Hirway, creator of the podcast Song Exploder, reveals the hidden parenting stories behind some of your favorite popular songs.

Actor and comedian Rob Huebel talks about sneaking onto airplanes, why he doesn’t share a bed with his wife, and what it was like to have their daughter live in the hospital for her first 117 days. And! The best placed fart noise ever.

Dr. Pratima Gupta is a mom with the rare job combo of both delivering babies and terminating pregnancies. And in the year since we last talked to her, her job description has gotten even more interesting!